tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50623312365491805072015-10-27T09:50:30.805-05:00Metal Oxide<center>Metal Oxide: Saturday nights from Midnight till 2am CST - Broadcasting live in the Chicago suburbs on 89.1 FM - Broadcasting internationally online at <a href="http://www.wonc.org">WONC.org</a></center>Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-80883670389098108142015-02-27T23:06:00.000-06:002015-02-28T20:44:28.980-06:00Album Review: Ensiferum's One Man Army<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYeTNGB8Efo/VPFMhSzTb5I/AAAAAAAAAHk/QFP0_JRP3e4/s1600/10968189_10152760286241309_5064620776702277983_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYeTNGB8Efo/VPFMhSzTb5I/AAAAAAAAAHk/QFP0_JRP3e4/s1600/10968189_10152760286241309_5064620776702277983_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />I don't have a lot to say about this album. Well... I should clarify that I do have a lot to say but I won't, because this is such a good album that I don't need to. I won't say that this is their best album or the best album this year, only because it's still early and I try not to label things as best and worst and so on. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Honestly and simply put, this is the most solid album Ensiferum could have made and I am more than pleased with it. It has all of the elements of a fantastic Ensiferum album: an intro track that builds up to a fast and heavy opener, a slower and more epic, meaningful song, a great title track, an interlude and song combo in the style of my favorite Ensiferum song, tracks that are a great mix of Ensiferum's folk, death, and Finnish metal, a fantastic western inspired tune, and, besides the polka/country ender, an improved version of the epic ender from their previous album.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I enjoyed that last sentence, a grammatically and annoyingly correct sentence that went on for far too long, just like <i>Unsung Heroes'</i> "Passion, Proof, Power"--a great song that is so long it is almost too difficult to listen to. "Descendants, Defiance, Domination" is so awesomely and obviously in the mind of and a correction of its predecessor that it is one of my favorite parts of the album. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As I mentioned above, I have to love this album because it harkens back, in more ways than one, to <i>Iron</i>and my favorite Ensiferum song, "Tale of Revenge." Preceded by the beautiful and sorrowful "Mourning Heart," this is my favorite of their songs because it so perfectly shows both their metal side and their Finnish side, mixing heavy death metal riffs with a longing and sorrow filled sound only Finnish bands have mastered. "Warrior Without a War," preceded by "Burden of the Fallen," does this same thing, and beautifully.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The album is closed by a country/polka song with beautiful vocals performed by Netta Skog, formerly of Turisas. This song caught me off guard because of it's complete difference from the other songs, though it does a nice job of ending the album on an upbeat and thoughtful note. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2OirQ-lysQ/VPFM9j8jabI/AAAAAAAAAHs/T_w2ud12Lko/s1600/10428065_10152763870891309_239202695011597379_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2OirQ-lysQ/VPFM9j8jabI/AAAAAAAAAHs/T_w2ud12Lko/s1600/10428065_10152763870891309_239202695011597379_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I was suggested to add more critiques to this review and I had to really look for them, which I think says a lot about how great this album is. The only thing I can really say, and something that spans the whole album, is that the guitars seem to lack a certain prominence. That is not to say that they aren't skillfully performed and ever present, but to say that many of the melodies are made with other instruments and that there are less outstanding riffs and solos that I would have hoped for. I would have liked to see more of the older Ensiferum guitar work and that is the critique I have found.<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Let me also take a moment, or rather a paragraph, to comment on the way they teased and actually pre-released this album. I half wrote a post ranting and annoyed at their release of <i>Suomi Warmetal</i> as a teaser because they didn't release it and it isn't a teaser for anything but the bonus tracks. I am, however, impressed by their releasing of a track a day from this album on Spotify the week before its release. I'm sure this is more Metal Blade and Spotify's doing, but I'll not lie that it got me really excited for this album, checking first thing every day to see what that day's song would be like. Although Spotify did win in the end because this got me to make an account and start actually using it. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cannot say that this is my favorite Ensiferum album. I cannot say that I like any of these songs more than any of their previous ones. I can say, however, that since the release of <i>One Man Army</i> I listened to nothing else but this great work of Suomi metal for almost a week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/uv0CRm94ObE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uv0CRm94ObE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This review brought to you by Solemn Oath's Kidnapped by Vikings. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-55691323819295559132015-01-15T23:15:00.000-06:002015-01-15T23:15:01.615-06:00Something New?<span style="font-size: large;">Woh...</span>has it been this long since I've posted anything? Bands have come and gone, albums released and been disliked, fans ranted and raved. The metal world turns and I've been buasy not posting about anything.<br /><br />I have, of course, kept on with the show, still playing three hours of delicious metal every Saturday night from Midnight to 3AM CST--visit me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/metaloxide891">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/metaloxide">Twitter</a> and so on #shamelessplug #thisismyblog<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Did he just use hashtags?" you must be asking yourself, probably. <i>Turisas2013</i> had a big impact on my, I guess (only Kyle will get that).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">I should stop being stupid and just post get on with it, shouldn't I?</span><br /><br />"On with what?" you might find yourself asking. Or not. I can't think for you or read your mind. Honestly though, I'm not even sure what I'm posting about this time. I guess this is kind of generally "hey it's been a while and I haven't said anything so here is me saying something about some things or something" post.<br /><br />I really am intending on posting a lot more in the coming days, months, years, decades, and so on, so I guess this is as good a place as any to start. In the works, actually, is a whole new metal news idea of mine, featuring a lot more posting, ranting, and discussing topics in and related to metal--though there will be more to come later. First I need to just start posting again.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Now for some actual metal discussion:&nbsp;</b></span><br /><br />I thought to make this post while listening to "Not Unlike the Waves," by Agalloch. Although I've known about them for a long time, obviously, and heard a few songs of theirs, obviously this one included, I've never really listened to them, gotten into them, or been deeply interested.<br /><br />Today I saw a brief mention of their new album, <i>The Serpent &amp; The Sphere</i>, in some "Best of 2014" list and decided to listen to it. I sat there at work, digging through an 80,000 item inventory to better optimize our eBay sales, listening to a new album by this band I've always kept in the background and was, for lack of a better term, blown away.<br /><br />I'd been meaning to listen to Agalloch more for a little while now, and I did, and I'm loving it. This is exactly what I need right now.<br /><br />It is something to keep me interested in the calm before the storm of new metal, with Ensiferum, Blind Guardian, and Nightwish all releasing albums in less than a month, Heidevolk having just today announced a new album coming, and many others.<br /><br />It was perfectly segued by a week long obsession with Caladan Brood's <i>Echoes of Battle</i>. Epic, atmospheric, black, although more orchestrated, this Salt Lake duo are just similar enough to Agalloch to get me ready this #agallochalypse. As a side note, if you haven't listened to <a href="http://caladanbrood.bandcamp.com/">Caladan Brood</a>, you should. <br /><br />It is something to break the reluctantly worded monotony I've found myself in in terms of music-listening-to, having listened to so much of my music for so long and so often. Yes, I will always love all of&nbsp; it, but recently I have found it difficult to just find something to listen to. I've listened to Disforia's <i>The Age of Ether</i> or Unleash the Archers' <i>Demons of&nbsp; the AstroWaste </i>so much that, I have sometimes found myself doing the unthinkable--scrolling past them on my phone or in my library. I know; it hurts every time.<br /><br />My largest metal obsession began this way, when I bought Blind Guardian's <i>Live</i> on a whim, knowing Jon Schaffer from Iced Earth had worked with Hansi Kursch; the nest year Blind Guardian is all I listened to. Similar was my recent interest in Bathory, having decided to listen to both their black and viking albums, coming off a big Norwegian black metal kick.<br /><br />The moral, probably, of this stupid post is to just listen to that one album you saw on that one list of those albums or whatever that one time, or that one band your friend mentioned that one time at that one place. If something even slightly piques your interest, give it a listen. You never know when you will get drawn into a band you'd never given a lot of thought to, be blown away by something new or something old, but new to you. Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-1407379661836502012013-07-23T23:36:00.001-05:002013-07-23T23:38:17.902-05:00Sorrow along the Dark Stream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi,_Pori.JPG/300px-Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi,_Pori.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi,_Pori.JPG/300px-Frozen_stream_En%C3%A4j%C3%A4rvi,_Pori.JPG" width="255" /></a></div><br />Drifting is a lonely thought. Just sitting in a boat, letting the water move you to wherever it wills. Loneliness, longing, sorrow--these are all emotions that could come to mind when thinking of this idea...of drifting. Yes, there are some positives, especially through the Daoist ideology, in which one is supposed to literally go with the flow and let the Dao, the natural life force, guide them. But this isn't China, this is the cold land of the midnight sun. This is the frozen north. The promised land of metal. The land of reindeer, the land of lakes and forests, the land of vodka, saunas, some juniper beer, fish, and more vodka. This is Finland.<br /><br />My friend was impressed with my handling of "Why <i>Eric the Red</i> is my favorite Tyr album," and my review of Ensiferum's <i>Unsung Heroes</i> and requested I write about "The Longest Journey," the epic closing track to <i>From Afar</i>, possibly my favorite Ensiferum album.<br /><br />To begin with, "The Longest Journey" should always be listened to with "Tumman Virran Taa," the song's intro, preceding it. This fifty-three second track is in Finnish, sung with a low, sad, solemn chorus, goes perfectly with the song itself. "The Longest Journey," just as "Tumman Virran Taa" before it, is about the Finnish underworld, Tuonela (or Manala) and the journey to reach it. <br /><br />The imagery and writing of this song is amazing. It begins with a quote from the <i>Kalevala </i>itself: "Could my ruin have come, My day of trouble have arrived, In these Tuonela cabins, These abodes of the dead land?" Already, the sorrowful emphasis of Finnish folklore, reflected in many of Ensiferum's lyrics, can be seen, coming from <i>the</i> source of Finnish folklore, the <i>Kalevala</i>. Already <i>ruin</i> and <i>day of trouble</i> are bringing an idea of sadness and defeat.<br /><br />Tuonela, "far beyond the dark stream," is a land where "pagan souls will roam...wild and free." Here these souls, "wait for a sign," a sign for the time when they will ride once more. Only the bravest can cross the dark stream into Tuonela, while the souls of lesser men will drown in the stream. The souls of men are tested here, before they can enter, as they drift along the dark stream.<br /><br />Compare this to the Norse idea of the after life. The bravest of men go to Valhalla, to live with the gods, while those not so brave go to Hel, to whither away for eternity. Valhalla, unlike Tuonela, (I'll not get into the fact that one is a hall, one is a land) is a place where&nbsp; men fight all day and drink and feast all night, waiting for Ragnarok. The Finns in Tuonela seem to be waiting for some kind of Ragnarok, a time when they will ride again. While the Norse party for eternity, the Finns, ever sorrowful, roam the cold lands for eternity. Where would you rather go, fighting/drinking/eating land or the frozen wastes of wandering souls? You can definitely tell how Finnish mythology is related to Norse mythology, but with a distinctly Finnish feel to it.<br /><br />Finnish folklore, according to Sami Hinkka, is full of longing and sorrow, and this can be seen in this song, among others of Ensiferum's. "He's been drifting for so long," sing Sami and Markus, "searching for the land where heroes roam." This line, sung by the glorious clean duo of Markus and Sami, echoes. It puts the listener in the mind of a lonely man, searching for death--for Tuonela.<br /><br />"The Longest Journey" is a slow song, one of Ensiferum's slowest. It really makes the listener feel like they are drifting along a stream, freezing and lonely, ever searching for the afterlife. There is also hope, possibly referencing another song off of <i>From Afar</i>, "Twilight Tavern," which describes a Finnish version of Valhalla that must exist in Tuonela. Either way, this is a very epic song. It combines slow a slow opener and closer, strong verses from Petri, epic and emotional choruses from Sami and Markus, and, as ever, talented and fitting instrumentals that go perfectly with the themes of this song. Even as I write this, I must pause and sing at the top of my lungs along with these masters, "The longest journey of them all, has to be made all alone! The flame in the skyline reaching the stars, guiding the seeker through the night!" One can not help but become emotionally attached to this song.<br /><br />In an effort to stifle a ramble--something I have been unsuccessful at before--I must end my thoughts here. Please listen to this song, with "Tumman Virran Taa" before it. Close your eyes and feels the music, listen to the words, and experience the emotions in this masterpiece. <br /><br /><br />Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-74159015674616282602013-03-31T01:49:00.001-05:002013-03-31T01:50:32.961-05:00Ensiferum, Unsung Heroes Review<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_max1f1S4tx1rcortwo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_max1f1S4tx1rcortwo1_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"></b></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know this is coming a bit late, since </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung Heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> came out quite some time ago and might &nbsp;not even be considered a 'new' album. Anyways, I have nonetheless decided to write down my thoughts on this, the fifth full length album from the heroic, Finnish folk metal masters, Ensiferum. </span></b></b></div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was as giddy as a school boy waiting for this album, listening to every live version of as many of the songs as I could (it was really just "Burning Leaves). When the video for "In My Sword I Trust" was released I watched that too much as well. I was a bit excited for this release. </span></b></div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the album came out, I had to wait a couple days still because my order was coming from Finland, so I was forced to stream it off of YouTube while I waited. My first reactions were not as pleasant as I might had hoped. The songs at first did not seem to connect as well as those did on From Afar. Slow, emotional songs were preceded by fast and powerful, boisterous songs, metal in every sense. The bombastic and epic "Pohjola", with its massive Finnish verses and orchestration was followed by an emotional song of glorious defeat and death on the battlefield. And then there is "Passion Proof Power"...I'll get to that later on. My first impression was not quite the best, but that is not to say that I disliked it. "Burning Leaves" quickly rose up the ranks of my favorite songs of all time and "Pohjola" was my victory song after turning in a large research paper on the Winter War. I nonetheless needed to give the album as a whole some time. </span></b></div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I listened to this album many times, going from song to song in order and at random, listening to them on their own and in the sense of the album as a whole. I once saw an interview with Sammi in which he explained that Ensiferum was not happy with </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Victory Songs</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and wanted their next album to be their best to reflect this, and that they also wanted to tone it down a bit from </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Afar</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I don't know what they're talking about about </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Victory Songs</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...I absolutely love that album. Yes, </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Afar</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a bit spaghetti and good, bad, and ugly, but it may be my favorite album of all time--or at least pretty close. Nonetheless, </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung Heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> does not disappoint, joining the ranks of great folk metal albums, among their previous releases and those of other great folk metal bands. </span></b></div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has something for everyone. Ensiferum proves their depth and talent in creating an album that perfectly blends various types of songs. A slow song sung by a female vocalist stands proud with the boisterous "Pohjola." A song perfectly brought from the folk tradition into the world of metal follows two epic, truy metal songs about heroes and swords and stuff. Even "Passion Proof Power" impresses when you give it time, harkening to some of metals great long songs. </span></div><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess now is a good time for my long-winded opinion of this song...feel free to skip this, it might get a little messy. "Passion Proof Power" pains me. It is such a beautiful and masterful song, with meaning deep within its lyrics and powerful, finely tuned guitars. Ensiferum has crafted this epic using everything in their arsenal. But it is so difficult to listen to. It is seventeen minutes and one second long. That is five minutes longer than their previous long album ender, the great and legendary "The Longest Journey." I love "Passion Proof Power," but it took hours of listening to it and the entire album for me to do so. When I first listened to it, I don't think I got five minutes in before I skipped back to the beginning of the album again. Please don't get me wrong, </span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do love </span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this song, but it is because of my love for this song that I am angry about it. I wish it was three minutes shorter, I wish the intro was shorter and there wasn't a break in the middle (what's up Die Apokalyptischen Reiter). I wish that the singing began sooner and that the great guitar work didn't wait so long. I fear that Ensiferum may have alienated some of their fans with this song, as &nbsp;t briefly did for me. To listen to this song, you do need to devote seventeen minutes to it, which &nbsp;can be difficult (I can complete my commute to school in half the time this song takes). I am only &nbsp;saying this because I want this song to be one of Ensiferum's best, because it is. It is an opera, a &nbsp;masterpiece, but even masterpieces have their faults sometimes. I will always enjoy this song, and &nbsp;&nbsp;hope you give it a chance if you haven't already. Okay, deep breath, back to the album. &nbsp;</span></b></b></b></b></div></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung Heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It begins with a medieval sounding intro, one of Ensiferum's best, which I saying a lot because each of their full length albums begins with a great intro. Once the beautiful intro is complete, the album charges into battle with its sword held high. "In My Sword I Trust" should be a sign to all that Ensiferum has not lost its roots, its heroic beginnings with the likes of "Battle Song" and "Into Battle." Next the title track, a powerful and emotional call to those forgotten in history and time. "Unsung Heroes," does not disappoint, bringing forth talented guitar work, shadowed by slight orchestration, and the powerful metal vocals of Petri. Don't be fooled, this is still a meaningful song as it slips into the slower, choral chorus. I love this song... "Burning </span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br /><div dir="ltr" style="display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8400090506765991" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaves" speaks for itself, as the folk song made metal, the ancient tradition perfectly brought forth into the modern world. Opening with Marcus' dulcimer, the main, folk melody opens the song peacefully, then with a slap as the same melody is taken up by Petri and his powerful guitar. This is song about defeat in defending a tradition, a sacred tree in this case. The emotion and meaning come forth in the chorus, cleanly sung by Marcus and Sammi, is deep and moving, while the harshly song lead vocals come from Petri with epic, heroic inspiration. A truly great song.</span></b></b></div></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From there, Ensiferum moves into ground they have broken on a few occasions, and well I think. “Celestial Bond,” is sung beautifully by Laura Dziaduledwicz. I have to point out, though, that although I do not agree with this, there are some who are alienated by this song, citing it as an example against the virtues of </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung Heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Nonetheless it is a beautiful song, and those worried about the ‘metal’ integrity of the band have their fears dispelled as soon as this song ends and the next song begins. “Retribution Shall be Mine” is another great among Eniferum’s arsenal of faster, heavier songs. The band quickly moves back into meaning over ‘metal’ with the following track, “Star Queen.” I am quite partial to this song, myself, with its emotional chorus and moving verses. This is one of my favorite songs from this album, a great example of a lighter folk metal song. “Pohjola” is an epic song, in every sense. About a distant realm from Finnish mythology, this bombastic and epic song, sung entirely in Finnish, is just...great. Listen to the epic chorus’ and the grand orchestration and see for yourself. More meaning comes from the next song, “Last Breath,” a moving song about a warrior’s last words, as he lies bleeding on the battlefield. “Don’t cry for me, my son,” Sammi sings, for he isn’t the only warrior on the ground that day. This song will bring a tear to the manliest tears to the eye of any listener. Next is “Passion Proof Power,” see above for my opinion on this song...</span></div><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I apologize for rambling a bit, but I had a lot to say about this album, and I did my best to do so. Please give this album a chance if you have no already. If some of the songs rub you the wrong way at first, simply skip to the next one and return later to give it another chance. Open your ears and your mind to Ensiferum and there is a beautiful, epic, heroic world waiting for you, in </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsung Heroes</span><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> just as much as in any of their previous great works. </span></div></b>Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-4786057911752760592013-03-30T22:46:00.000-05:002013-03-30T22:50:10.308-05:00Why Eric the Red is my favorite Tyr album.<div style="line-height: 0.15in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lL2DqDtijs/ToPKSReM7hI/AAAAAAAAAQo/9mR0vDNjq6A/s1600/2003+-+Eric+The+Red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lL2DqDtijs/ToPKSReM7hI/AAAAAAAAAQo/9mR0vDNjq6A/s1600/2003+-+Eric+The+Red.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span lang="en"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span lang="en"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I never have an easy time answering the question: "what's your favorite..." I can never decide, especially when it comes to my favorite something in metal. My favorite band of all time is easy--that's Blind Guardian for a few reasons, mostly on account of the entire year I spent listening to them in high school...but beyond that, I don't know. Favorite folk metal band? Pfft, best I can do is top three. Favorite song? How about top ten--but I digress. The issue at hand is my recent decision that Eric the Red is my favorite Tyr album.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">This epiphany occurred recently when "Sand in the Wind," off of </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">, came on in my car. It had been a long time since I'd listened to this masterpiece--and a master piece it is, in my opinion--and I rocked out in a way that I haven't in a while. Since that fateful day, I have listened to "Sand in the Wind" more than a few times. The more I listened to this song, and others from How Far to Asgaard, the more I came to realize the virtues of Tyr's first album. There is a certain purity to it, a raw brilliance, an innocence almost. The vocals are light and clear, sung beautifully by Pol, while the guitar solos are strong and pure, masterfully performed by Heri. "Sand in the Wind," as I mentioned before, is particularly masterful to me. The symmetry in the notes that begin and end the song, the brilliant, ambling solo in the middle is almost mesmerizing and Pol's singing is emotional and thought provoking. It really does paint the picture of wind, of time, of the pointlessness of it all, of fate; everything is like sand in the wind. "How Far to Asgaard" itself is epic and grand, while "Ormurin Langi" is slow and moving, the perfect balance of metal excellence and sophisticated folk music. As far as first albums go, </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">is no doubt exemplary.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Some of the purity, in the sense that I mean, has gone from Tyr since </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">. That is not to say that every release from the Faroese folk metal artists is less a perfect mix of pure folk tradition and groundbreaking metal, but that the band has refined its sound and become heavier and more epic. The power of Tyr's more recent work, the pure power of Heri's voice and the massive guitars riffs that strike through the songs, have evolved from the purity and raw beauty of </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard.</span></span></i></span></span></span></span><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Don't get me wrong, I think that each of Tyr's releases is beautiful and masterful in its own way. </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Ragnarok</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">, for instance, is one of, if not the best concept albums ever made; not to take away from </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">By the Light of the Northern Star,</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">the heroic telling of a dark and desperate time in Faroese history. </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Land </span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">is epic in every sense of the word: long songs, massive songs, booming vocals, and powerful guitar work made it so. </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">The Lay of Thrym</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">is a call for freedom and is as powerful, emotional, and heroic as such a call always should be. It is certainly hard to find things to complain about from Tyr. Yes, their most recent album could be seen as a little too political, but not so much as to take away from the album. And yes, some might not think of Tyr as "brutal" or "metal" enough, in the sense of Slayer or Cannibal Corpse. Tyr requires a more refined metal pallet to enjoy, and looking beyond their few faults reveals masterpieces almost beyond count. Emotion and meaning pump through Tyr's lyrics, telling stories centuries old, bringing back to life a heroic past still alive in few people. The intricate, powerful guitar work of Heri and Terji is overlooked by most, I think, for its excellence in any genre.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">What about Eric the Red</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">? What was Tyr's second release like, after line-up changes and six years without a release? Why is it TJ's favorite Tyr album? A simple answer is that the first track is that track that really sucked me into Tyr. But the real answer, the answer that inspired all of this, is that it is as follows.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">After</span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">, Pol left the band and Heri, already lead guitarist, took up the responsibility of lead vocalist. The purity of </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">, the raw and pure sound that was refined in further albums, is still there in Eric the Red. The biggest difference, the deciding factor for me, is Heri. I will always love Pol and his beautiful voice, but nothing beats the power and majesty of Heri's. Eric the Red is a mixture of </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">and the albums that followed. It brings together the epic power and exemplary folk metal that Tyr has become known for and the purity and innocence of their first album.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">Already with "The Edge," more power can instantly be heard in the deeper, slightly darker almost opening riff. It then moves into a powerful melody soon to be embraced by the lyrics. Then comes Heri's voice, his powerful and epic voice, beginning a heartfelt story from the past of his people. This is one of the most important things to understand about Tyr. What they sing about is their people, the people of the Faroe Islands, the descendants of Vikings who were converted away from their traditions by the sword in 999 CE. A tradition whose remnants are threatened even today by modernization and a select few who view their customs as evil. "The Edge," getting back on topic, is a beautiful, meaningful song. It is the story of a man sentenced to death for his staunch resistance to Christianity. He tells his people not to cry for him. Not to cry at his funeral. What he did was selfish, he did it for himself; for the sake of his family he should have "lied and played their game." Now I hope you can see why this meaningful and emotional, epic song drew me in to become a huge fan of these masters of folk metal.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"The Edge" is followed by one of the best examples of a folk song, straight from a Faroese line dance, made into an epic metal song: "Regin Smidur." It is is in Faroese, so I cannot particularly say what it is about, just that is about a legendary blacksmith and it is one my favorite songs of all time. The way it opens with a growing, distant hum, with Heri's voice beginning the first verse, followed closely by a key aspect of Tyr's music: the chorus. Faroese folk tradition is told by voices, by words not notes, by singers not instrumentalists. It is the power of this tradition that lends power to Heri's voice, indeed to the voices of the band as a whole. This song is one among many that exemplifies this tradition and its life within Tyr (see the song "Ormurin Langi," off of </span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">How Far to Asgaard</span></span></i></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;"></span></span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">for a great example of this tradition). This song moves swiftly between slow, repetitive chorus' and the quick, melodic verses brought forth by Heri, punctuated as ever with powerful guitar work.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">"Dreams"....what could possibly be said about "Dreams" that “Dreams” doesn't say about itself? Anyone with any sympathy for myth, legend, folk tales, heroic stories, or even bedtime stories will love and appreciate this song. Tales of faraway lands, tales of long ago are evoked in this song about the power of myth, about the life that can be brought forth with words alone. This is a beautiful, slow, and meaningful song, that I think speaks for itself.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I will not bore you with long-winded descriptions of every song on this, my favorite Tyr album. There are fun songs about drinking and the dangers that it can bring, about dancing in the woods with mystical creatures, and meaningful legends of giants. Current events are blended with tales from the past, as Eric the Red questions new religions and the Rainbow Warrior questions old ones.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;">I want to thank you for reading my pedantic and long-winded discussion on one of my favorite bands and my recently determined favorite album of theirs. I have a passion for culture and history, and of course for metal. Tyr blends all of this and more together perfectly. If you have not listened to much Tyr, do not be scared away by my over analysis of their work. Just sit back and listen. Let the guitars rock you and the words move you, and hopefully you might come to love this band as I do.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span></span>Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-45589394796617591862013-03-17T18:02:00.002-05:002013-03-17T18:10:44.648-05:00Mythology ShowHello everybody,<br /><br />I am out of town this week and have pre-recorded a mythology themed night for you guys, including my interview with Chris, the lead singer and sexy keytarist of Alestorm. I hope you enjoy the show, including the third hour, appearing for the second time. Here is the playlist:<br /><br />"The Siren" - Nightwish<br />"Imaginations from the Other Side" - Blind Guardian<br />"Awaken" - Dethklok<br />"Our Destiny" - Epica<br />"Under Huntress Moon" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Fate of Norns" - Amon Amarth<br />"Old Man" - Ensiferum<br />"Trollhammaren" - Finntroll<br />"Chimera" - Mayhem<br />"Jotun" - In Flames<br />"Ramund hin Unge" - Tyr<br />Interview with Chris from Alestorm<br />"Fullmoon" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Skyforger" - Amorphis<br />"Olden Gods" - Battlelore<br />"Romulus" - Ex Deo<br />"Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Escape" - Amorphis<br />"Regin Smidur" - Tyr<br />"Valkyries" - Blind Guardian<br />"Third Immortal" - Battlelore<br />"Follow the Reaper" - Children of Bodom<br />"Quoth the Raven" - Eluveitie<br />"Smoking Ruins" - Ensiferum<br />"The Boy Who Wanted to be a Real Puppet" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Thor" - Therion<br />"Battle Metal" - Turisas<br />"The Ancient Forest of Elves" - Luca Turilli<br />"Tuonelan Tuvilla" - Korpiklaani<br />"Ragnarok" - Tyr<br />"Twilight of the Thunder God" - Slaughter of the Bluegrass<br /><br />&nbsp;Let me know if you have any requests for the next show, or if you have any ideas for the third hour: metaloxide891@gmail.com Happy headbanging everybody!Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-80332607363191496162012-03-04T00:03:00.000-06:002012-03-04T00:03:47.082-06:00Slow Song night - PrerecordedHey everyone,<br /><br />I'm not feeling well this week, so Metal Oxide will be the slow-themed show from a couple years ago. I hope you enjoy it. There will be a usual show next week.<br /><br />Here is the playlist:<br />"Creek Mary's Blood" - Nightwish<br />"Nightfall" - Blind Guardian<br />"The Boy Who Wanted to be a Real Puppet" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Go Into the Water" - Deathklok<br />"Love's Tragedy Asunder" - Demons and Wizards<br />"The Ravens" - Tristania<br />"The Sorrowed Man" - Nvermore<br />"My Choice" - After Forever<br />"Embrace the Endless Ocean" - Amon Amarth<br />"Slavsya Rus" - Arkona<br />"Leave's Eyes" - Leave's Eyes<br />"Tuulen Koti, Aaltojen Koti" - Moonsorrow<br />"To the End of Days" - Alestorm<br />"Nokken" - Lumsk<br />"Sleeping Stars" - Wintersun<br />"Elegy" - Amorphis<br />"Hail to the Hammer" - Tyr<br />"Lady in Black" - Ensiferum<br /><br />See you next week,<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-31214425340160723872011-12-11T02:32:00.000-06:002011-12-11T02:32:31.645-06:00Live theme show!Hey all,<br /><br />This week I decided to play a live themed show, featuring live songs from all the usual band featured on Metal Oxide. I really enjoyed the show this week and I think this is my favorite theme that we do. Look forward to the possibility for more of these shows in the future.<br /><br />For news I made the exciting announcement that Paganfest is returning to North America, making a stop in Chicago at Reggies on April 5. Turisas is headlining, with support from Alestorm, Ex Deo, and Arkona. Needless to say, I can barely contain my excitment.<br /><br />The live playlist:<br />"Ghost Love Score" - Nightwish<br />"Mirror Mirror" - Blind Guardian<br />"Stormrider" - Iced Earth<br />"Korpiklaani" - Korpiklaani<br />"Deathcrush" - Mayhem<br />"Weballergy" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Damned in Black" - Immortal<br />"Iron" - Ensiferum<br />"The Black Halo" - Kamelot<br />"Sons of Riddermark" - Battlelore<br />"Ot Serdca k Nebu" - Arkona<br />"Kings of the Carnival Creation" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Black No. 1" - Type O Negative<br />"Inis Mona" - Eluveitie<br />"Dusk and Her Embrace" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Nattfodd" - Finntroll<br />"One More" - Turisas<br />"Hail to the Hammer" - Tyr<br />"Juodaan Viinaa" - Korpiklaani<br /><br />See you next weekend,<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-72436418434033358052011-12-04T02:41:00.000-06:002011-12-04T02:41:18.320-06:00First Winter Break Show, 12/3/11Hello Everybody,<br /><br />This week went well I think. I was on my own, so I was boring and probably didn't make much sense on air, but I still think I did a good job. I ended up making a few changes to the playlist, partially because of requests, which included Type O Negative and Edguy, and I also played a song form the local band, Shield of Wings. There was a lot of great folk metal, which is always good.<br /><br />There wasn't really any news, just album updates really. <br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"Wanderlust" - Nightwish<br />"Welcome to Dying" - Blind Guardian<br />"Flag in the Ground" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Hard Rock Hallelujah" - Lordi<br />"The Serpentine Offering" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Nymphetamine" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Persepolis" - Septic Flesh<br />"Frozen Angel" - Norther<br />"I Don't Want to be Me" - Type O Negative<br />"We Don't Ned a Hero" - Edguy<br />"Where Is Your God?" - Amon Amarth<br />"Solarium" - Shield of Wings<br />"Yarilo" - Arkona<br />"The Visitor" - Kivimetsan Druidi<br />"Stand Up and Fight" - Turisas<br />"Korpiklaani" - Korpiklaani<br />"Feigdin" - Heljareyga<br />"Midnatens Widunder" - Finntroll<br />"From Afar" - Ensiferum<br />"Sons of Riddermark" - Battlelore<br />"Death Before the Mast" - Alestorm<br />"Brother's Bane" - Tyr<br />"Juodaan Viinaa" - Korpiklaani<br /><br />See you next week, possibly with a theme!<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-46340163969697415072011-11-20T02:56:00.000-06:002011-11-20T02:56:05.387-06:00November 20th showHey Everyone,<br /><br />Nothing really happened at the show this week. There weren't really any requests and there was no news, so I just played music. <br /><br />Here's the playlist from this week's show:<br />"Planet Hell" - Nightwish<br />"And the Story Ends" - Blind Guardian<br />"The Cage" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The Black Halo" - Kamelot<br />"Kings of the Carnival Creation" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Tonight in Flames" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Sons of the Northern Darkness" - Immortal<br />"The Gathering" - Delain<br />"In Her Dark Embrace" - Ex Deo<br />"Vs. the World" - Amon Amarth<br />"The Chainsaw Buffet" - Lordi<br />"Enigma" - Amorphis<br />"Battle Metal" - Turisas<br />"The IXth Legion" - Suidakra<br />"Paat Pois Tai Hirteen" - Korpiklaani<br />"Elembivos" - Eluveitie<br />"The New Dawn" - Ensiferum<br />"Ruf in den Wind" - Equilibrium<br />"The Huntmaster" - Alestorm<br />"Fiskarens Fiende" - Finntroll<br />"Krijgsvolk" - Heidevolk<br />"Nine Worlds of Lore" - Tyr<br />"Final Countdown" - Norther<br /><br />See you next week,<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-89835217652983050262011-10-30T01:46:00.000-05:002011-10-30T01:46:27.170-05:00Halloween Show!Welcome to our Halloween show!<br /><br />We actually realized this would be our Halloween show a little late, but I think we were able to put together a good show. As per usual Halloween shows, we had to play some Goth metal, and there was a little Black metal. Besides that we just played darker, more...Halloweeny songs.<br /><br />For news, we talked about Blind Guardian's upcomming album! It's a compliation album that will be released on January 27, 2012! Also, Van Williams, formerly of Nevermore, has released a couple new trakcs from his new project. Surprisingly, there are a few members of Nevermore on it. I'm looking forward to both releases<br /><br />The playlist:<br />"The Phantom of the Opera" - Nightwish<br />"Der Makabere Tanze Des Vampires" - Theatres Des Vampires<br />"This is Halloween" - Marilyn Manson<br />"Journey Through the Dark" - Blind Guardian<br />"Wildfire" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Cemetery and Sundown" - Cradle of Filth<br />"The Sacrilegious Scorn" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Sangreal" - Septic Flesh<br />"The Heart Collector" - Nevermore <br />"In My Darkest Hours" - Sirenia<br />"My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" - Type 0 Negative<br />"Nocturna" - Moonspell'<br />"Forsaken" - David Draiman<br />"Dracula" - Iced Earth<br />"The Coffin Ships" - Primordial<br />"Lord of Lies" - Tyr<br />"The Dread Crew of Oddwood" - The Dread Crew of Oddwood<br />"Winter Madness" - Wintersun<br />"Ahti" - Ensiferum<br />"Met" - Equilibrium<br />"Stand Up and Fight" - Turisas<br />"Nattfodd" - Finntroll<br />"To France" - Leave's Eyes<br /><br />See you next week!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-18371761207280486502011-10-16T02:19:00.000-05:002011-10-16T02:19:31.280-05:00Hello Everyone,<br /><br />I was all alone this week, so I was left to my own devices in choosing a playlist. I had three requests, for Dethklok, Rhapsody and Ensiferum, which is more than we've had in a while. This week was a very good show.<br /><br />Here's the playlist:<br />"Nemo" - Nightwish<br />"Nightfall" - Blind Guardian<br />"Thunderhorse" - Dethklok<br />"Don't Say a Word" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The Last Crusade" - Epica<br />"Vredesbyrd" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"The Foetus of a New Day Kicking" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Follow the Reaper" - Children of Bodom<br />"The Magic of the Wizard's Dream" - Rhapsody<br />"Winter of Souls" - Demons and Wizards<br />"Rider of the Astral Fire" - Luca Turilli<br />"Hollow" - Norther<br />"The March of the Varangian Guard" - Turisas<br />"From Earth I Rose" - Amorphis<br />"Koning Raboud" - Heidevolk<br />"Farewell Proud Men" - Leave's Eyes<br />"Pakanajuhla" - Moonsorrow<br />"Dragonheads" - Ensiferum<br />"Pirate Song" - Alestorm<br />"Thouandfold" - Eluveitie<br />"Nattfodd" - Finntroll<br />"Trondur I Gotu" - Tyr<br />"I Want Out" - Hammerfall<br /><br />See you next week,<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-48668441686039737022011-10-09T02:51:00.000-05:002011-10-09T02:51:40.360-05:00Interview with Olli Vanska<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AsN_ZH7h8sE/TpFRMwuYECI/AAAAAAAAADc/Iw-o9uh80PU/s1600/215511_205901289442910_159877897378583_591600_5979706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AsN_ZH7h8sE/TpFRMwuYECI/AAAAAAAAADc/Iw-o9uh80PU/s320/215511_205901289442910_159877897378583_591600_5979706_n.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F24668187"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F24668187" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/metaloxide/interview-with-olli-vanska">Interview with Olli Vanska</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/metaloxide">MetalOxide</a> <br /><br />0:05 - Turisas' sound without genre titles or band names <br />0:37 - Playing the violin before joining Turisas<br />3:15 - If he ever thought he would be in a metal band<br />4:40 - Violin over guitar in Turisas' music <br />6:28 - The recent lineup changes <br />9:00 - Accordions in Turisas<br />10:50 - A brief explanation of Turisas' recording process <br />13:30 - The genre of folk metal and Turisas' role in it <br />17:00 - Predictions for the future of fol metal <br />18:45 - Finland's role in the folk metal genre <br />20:07 - Personal influences and the band's influences <br />21:43 - Playing in festivals vs. clubs <br />23:10 - Playing around the world <br />24:40 - Playing in Chicago<br />26:10 - Future goals for the band <br />29:05 - Most memorable experiences touring with the bandMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-89327331406026597232011-10-09T02:43:00.000-05:002011-10-09T02:43:45.516-05:0010/8/11 - Part 2 of my interview with OlliHey all,<br /><br />Since this is not the main post of the night, I'm not really going to say much. I played awesome metal, some stuff we don't normally and it was great. There was no news because of the interview. It was a great show.<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"End of All Hope" - Nightwish<br />"Battle Metal" - Turisas<br />"A Voice in the Dark" - Blind Guardian<br />"False News Travels Fast" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Deathcrush" - Mayhem<br />"War" - Burzum<br />"Sympozium" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Asgard" - Therion<br />"Silent Goddess" - Kamelot<br />"Prophecy Fulfilled" - Haggard<br />"Quietus" - Epica<br />"The Ancient Forest of Elves" - Luca Turilli<br />"Vargtimmen" - Finntroll<br />"The Song of the Sage" - Amorphis<br />"Set Sail and Conquer" - Alestorm<br />"Metsamies" - Korpiklaani<br />"Elusive Reaches" - Ensiferum<br />"Everything Remains as it Never Was" - Eluveitie<br />"Battle Cairns" - Suidakra<br />"Hear the Heathen Call" - Tyr<br />"Surfin' USA" - Blind Guardian<br /><br />See you next week!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-22675702048094882222011-10-02T03:21:00.001-05:002011-10-02T21:31:31.518-05:0010/1/11 - First part of my interview with OlliHello everyone!<br /><br />This week was an awesome show because I got to debut the first part of my interview with Olli Vanska form Turisas!! It was an awesome interview and the show went really well. The playlist is just a normal one this week, with the only thing different being that we played the interview instead of&nbsp; news. I hope you enjoyed it!<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"Kinslayer" - Nightwish<br />"Stand Up and Fight" - Turisas<br />"The Last Amazing Grays" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The Pursuit of Vikings" - Amon Amarth<br />"Cross Gate" - Versailles<br />"Would You Love a Monsterman" - Lordi<br />"Under Huntress Moon" - Cradle of Filth<br />"The Chosen Legacy" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"The River Dragon has Come" - Nevermore<br />"Awaken" - Dethklok<br />"Bodom After Midnight" - Children of Bodom<br />"Ot Serdtsa K Nebu" - Arkona<br />"Sign" - Amorphis<br />"That Famous Ol' Spiced" - Alestorm<br />"Third Immortal" - Battlelore<br />"Keep on Galloping" - Korpiklaani<br />"Krigsmjod" - Finntroll<br />"Tale of Revenge" - Ensiferum<br />"Into the Storm" - Tyr<br />"Supernaut" - Turisas<br /><br />See you next week, when I will be playing part 2 of the interview!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-4150121752576733922011-09-25T03:31:00.000-05:002011-09-25T03:31:55.752-05:00September 24th showHey all,<br /><br />This week's show was just you average, normal show. We&nbsp; played metal. I just chose songs that I felt were good and played them. We got one request for Cradle of Filth which made Melanie very happy, but that was about it. As usual, it was a great show.<br /><br />For news, we just had a continuation of the Nevermore drama as Jeff Loomis broke his silence and commented on some of hings being said. He doesn't seem to have any hard feelings, which is always a good&nbsp; thing.<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"Dead to the World" - Nightwish<br />"When Sorrow Sang" - Blind Guardian<br />"Shamandalie" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Let the Hammer Fall" - Hammefall<br />"Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Deathcrush" - Mayhem<br />"Babel's Gate" - Septic Flesh<br />"Bodom After Midnight" - Children of Bodom<br />"Once Upon a Time" - Kamelot<br />"Frozen" - Delain<br />"Black Dragon" - Luca Turilli<br />"Death in Fire" - Amon Amarth<br />"Shaman" - Amorphis<br />"Slavsya Rus" - Arkona<br />"Korpiklaani" - Korpiklaani<br />"Ahti" - Ensiferum<br />"Blacksmith" - Kivimetsan Druidi<br />"The IXth Legion" - Suidakra<br />"Solsagan" - Finntroll<br />"Krijgsvolk" - Heidevolk<br />"Keelhauled" - Alestorm<br />"Sinklars Visa" - Tyr<br />"Rasputin" - Turisas<br /><br />See you next week!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-83630699490701367682011-09-18T03:09:00.000-05:002011-09-18T03:09:10.101-05:009/17/11Hello Everyone,<br /><br />This week was just a normal week as far as Metal Oxide went. We started school, but we didn't do anything special with the playlist. We had one request, for Dream Theater, but besides that we were on our own. I think it was a good show though. We played a lot of good metal, and I tried to play some things that we don't play too often. I hope everyone enjoyed it!<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"Nemo" - Nightwish<br />"Ride Into Obsession" - Blind Guardian<br />"Weballergy" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Embrace the Endless Oceans" - Amon Amarth<br />"Forsaken" - Dream Theater<br />"The Invaluable Darkness" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Tonight in Flames" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Demigod" - Behemoth<br />"Sunlight Moonlight" - Septic Flesh<br />"Murmaider" - Dethklok<br />"Our Destiny" - Epica<br />"Yarilo" - Arkona<br />"New Found Land" - Leave's Eyes<br />"Sampo" - Amorphis <br />"Istu Pitkaastaa Ilosta" - Korpiklaani<br />"Guardians of Fate" - Ensiferum<br />"Under Bergens Rot" - Finntroll<br />"Hunting Pirates" - Turisas<br />"Captain Morgan's Revenge" - Alestorm<br />"Inis Mona" - Eluveitie<br />"Ormurin Langi" - Tyr<br />"Vandraren" - Ensiferum<br /><br />See you next week,<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-52598500332959408202011-09-11T03:35:00.000-05:002011-09-11T03:35:53.214-05:00Time night!Hello Everyone,<br /><br />This week, as promised, we brought you another themed show: time. We played songs about time, seasons, eternity, etc. All the most stereotypical and lame metal stuff regarding time was played and it was great. It was a lot of folk metal and power metal, and I have no problem with any of that.<br /><br />We don't usually do news on theme nights, but something happened this week that we had to take a few minutes to talk about. Netta and Hannes left Turisas. Netta left to go to college and Hannes left to pursue a career writing and singing in operas. We would like to wish them both the best of luck. Replacing them is a keyboardist and the old bassist from Ensiferum (Ensiferum and Iron). I'm really excited to see what they can do with a keyboardist and it will be great to see the old bassist from Ensiferum.<br /><br />This week's time playlist:<br />"Creel Mary's Blood" - Nightwish<br />"Beginning of Times" - Amorphis<br />"Wings of Time" - Tyr<br />"Winter Madness" - Wintersun<br />"Ghost of Freedom" - Iced Earth<br />"The New Dawn" - Ensiferum<br />"Der Ewige Sieg" - Equilibrium<br />"Back Through Time" - Alestorm<br />"Time What is Time" - Blind Guardian<br />"Northern Fall" - Korpiklaani<br />"Tomorrow Turned into Yesterday" - Nevermore<br />"The Fire Burns Forever" - Hammerfall<br />"Eternal Wait" - Ensiferum<br />"Battle Against Time" - Wintersun<br />"The Last Amazing Grays" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The End of an Empire" - Turisas<br />"Wheel of Time" - Blind Guardian<br />"Beyond the Dark Sun" - Wintersun<br />"Final Countdown" - Norther<br /><br />See you next week<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-85210278583569359672011-09-04T01:51:00.000-05:002011-09-04T01:51:13.473-05:00Mythology NightHello Everyone!<br /><br />Our show was cut short by a NCC football game this week, so we were only able to bring you 1.5 hours of metal. We had a theme night planned.....and we did it anyways. But we also decided to have another theme night next week because we couldn't this week.<br /><br />The theme of this week's show (in case you didn't guess by the title of this post) was Mythology!! Myth is one of the greatest things to sing about, so it is a frequent theme of ours. We picked some of the classic Myth themed songs (yes...there's a lot of folk metal).<br /><br />Here is this week's mythological playlist:<br />"The Siren" - Nightwish<br />"Dead Sound of Misery" - Blind Guardian<br />"Battle Metal" - Turisas<br />"Deathaura" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Paljon on Koskessa Kivia" - Korpiklaani<br />"Medusa and Hemlock" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Old Man" - Ensiferum<br />"Hermod's Ride to Hel" - Amon Amarth<br />"Romulus" - Ex Deo<br />"Phantom Opera Ghost" - Iced Earth<br />"Annubis" - Septic Flesh<br />"Leviathan" - Alestorm<br />"The Ancient Forest of Elves" - Luca Turilli<br />"Ragnarok" - Tyr<br />"Twilight of the Thunder God" - Slaughter of the Bluegrass<br /><br />Se you next week,<br />TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-24694359774412622752011-08-28T03:22:00.000-05:002011-08-28T03:22:08.217-05:00Another Great night - 8/28/11Hey Everyone,<br /><br />I know I always say this, and it must get boring, but this week was yet another regular show that went great. I didn't plan anything special for the playlist and there was no huge news, it was just an ordinary Metal Oxide. I threw in some Heljareyga, which I don't get to play as often as I would like, and I also played some newish Alestorm, which was great. I had a lot of fun tonight and I hope our listeners did too.<br /><br />Like I said, news wasn't much. It was really just more discussion and reflection on the situation with Nevermore. There was another little story about some of Leave's Eyes' shirts being confiscated at Summer Breeze because they had Celtic crosses on them; they were given back after much hassle.<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"The Phantom of the Opera" - Nightwish<br />"Wait for an Answer" - Blind Guardian <br />"San Sebastian" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Blood Red Sandman" - Lordi<br />"Birth of the Wicked" - Iced Earth <br />"The Fetus of a New Day Kicking" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Dimmu Borgir" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Seal of Woven Years" - Kamelot <br />"The Heart Collector" - Nevermore<br />"Burn to a Cinder" - Epica <br />"From the Heaven of My Heart" - Amorphis<br />"Gilded Oars" - Suidakra<br />"Feigdin" - Heljareyga<br />"The Sunk'n Norwegian" - Alestorm<br />"Elusive Reaches" - Ensiferum"Uniaika" - Korpiklaani<br />"Cursed Be Iron" - Turisas<br />"Fiskarens Fiende" - Finntroll<br />"Ramund hin Unge" - Tyr<br />"Mr. Sandman" - Blind Guardian<br /><br />See you next week,<br />TJ<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-64075201285927655442011-08-21T01:53:00.000-05:002011-08-21T01:53:22.699-05:008/20/11Hello Everybody,<br /><br />Kate and Rita stopped by the show this week-it was a blast. We even got a few requests. For Dethklok, Children of Bodom and Turisas. Besides that we played some fun songs and some classic songs. It was a great playlist this week, as always. <br /><br />News was short and sweet this week. Warrel Dane mentioned in an interview that he first heard about Jeff Loomis and Van Williams leaving from an article on Blabbermouth.net. We found this funny and interesting and took this opportunity to reflect on Nevermore and our expectation of the future. We also talked about how Rhapsody of Fire is kind of splitting up. Long story short, there will now be Rhapsody and Rhapsody of Fire....its confusing.<br /><br />This week's playlist:<br />"Nemo" - Nightwish<br />"The Soulforged" - Blind Guardin<br />"Champagne Bath" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Murmaider" - Dethklok<br />"Sangreal" - Septic Flesh<br />"The Chosen Legacy" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Cemetery and Sundown" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Downfall" - Children of Bodom<br />"Tenebra Dentro" - Theatres des Vampires<br />"Frozen" - Delain<br />"Down the Slopes of Death" - Amon Amarth<br />"I of Crimson Blood" - Amorphis<br />"Battle Metal" - Turisas<br />"Keelhauled" - Alestorm<br />"Die Affeninsel" - Equilibrium<br />"Cities Burning" - The Dread Crew of Oddwood<br />"The Somber Lay" - Eluveitie<br />"Abandoned" - Ensiferum<br />"Paljon on Koskessa Kivia" - Korpiklaani<br />"Trollhammaren" - Finntroll<br />"Olavur Riddaros" - Tyr<br />"Joudaan Viinaa" - Korpiklaani<br /><br />See you all next week,<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-24706059803902539122011-08-14T01:56:00.000-05:002011-08-14T01:56:21.906-05:008/13/11 ShowHey Everyone,<br /><br />Nothing special happened tonight. There were no requests. There was no theme. There wasn't much news. We just played a regular playlist of great songs by great metal bands and it was a good show. I added in some things that I don't usually, like Bathory, which I don't think I've ever played on the show.<br /><br />There wasn't much news. One thing, though, was a story about Blind Guardian. They auctioned off Studio time record a new version of the Bard's Song to help Japan. A Quebec fan won the contest, paying somewhere around 13K euros. We will try to get this version for you guys sometime.<br /><br />This week's Playlist:<br />"Wishmaster" - Nightwish<br />"Black Dragon" - Luca Turilli<br />"The Bard's Song" - Blind Guardian<br />"Black Sheep" - Sonata Arctica<br />"Riders of the Storm" - Hammerfall<br />"Communion" - Septic Flesh<br />"Allehelgens Død I Helveds Rike" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Destroyer of Worlds" - Bathory<br />"Angel of Lust" - Theatres Des Vampires<br />"Necropolis" - Kamelot<br />"Midnight Walker" - Norther<br />"Destroyer of the Universe" - Amon Amarth<br />"Farewell Proud Men" - Leave's Eyes<br />"Inis Mona" - Eluveitie<br />"Set Sail and Conquer" - Alestorm<br />"Gilded Oars" - Suidakra<br />"Blut im Auge" - Equilibrium<br />"Fields of Gold" - Turisas<br />"Solsagan" - Finntroll<br />"Twilight Tavern" - Ensiferum<br />"Koning Radboud" - Heidevolk<br />"The Lay of Thrym" - Tyr<br />"The Sound of Silence" - Nevermore<br /><br />See you next week!<br />-TJ<br /><br /><br />Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-39735585360716204882011-08-07T03:03:00.000-05:002011-08-07T03:03:28.661-05:00Live song night!Hello Everyone!<br /><br />This week we played only live songs and it was great! I gave it open for requests during the week but only one person gave one, so I was free to put together whatever live songs I wanted for this week's playlist, it was great.<br /><br />We didn't do metal news this week, instead we talked for a few minutes about concerts we all really loved. That was a lot of fun.<br /><br />Here is this week's live song playlist:<br />"Ghost Love Score" - Nightwsh<br />"Vodka" - Korpiklaani<br />"Valhalla" - Blind Guardian<br />"Nattfodd" - Finntroll<br />"The Cage" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The Forest Whispers My Name" - Cradle of Filth<br />"Tale of Revenge" - Ensiferum<br />"Deathcrush" - Mayhem<br />"Kings of the Carnival Creation" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Nancy the Tavern Wench" - Alestorm<br />"The Edge" - Tyr<br />"One More" - Turisas<br />"One By One" - immortal<br />"Angels Holocaust" - Iced Earth<br />"Black No. 1" - Type O Negative<br />"Coffin Ships" - Primordial<br />"Into Hiding" - Ensiferum<br /><br />I hope you enjoyed the show!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-31064450841154340642011-07-31T01:59:00.000-05:002011-07-31T01:59:56.749-05:00We're Back!Hello Everybody!<br /><br />We're back!! Yes, we are back after our sudden absence last week to bring your a usual boring show. I hope you enjoyed the folk show last week. But this week there was no theme, just a regular playlist put together by Melanie and I. Although this was a regular show we have a surprise for next week...but you'll have to wait to figure it out.<br /><br />We had some interesting news this week. Blind Guardian has updated about their orchestral Album, saying that they are beginning work on it and teaming up with a German fantasy writer to work out the concept. Iced Earth will be releasing their new album, Dystopia, on October 18, featuring their new singer, Stu Block. Behemo's Nergal will be on Poland's 'The Voice'. And Cradle of Filth will be canceling their appearance at Wacken due to the injuries Dani sustained when he was tackled in France.<br /><br />This week's Playlist: <br />"Wanderlust" - Nightwish<br />"Imaginations from the Other Side" - Blind Guardian<br />"Our Destiny" - Epica<br />"Champagne Bath" - Sonata Arctica<br />"The Phantom Opera Ghost" - Iced Earth<br />"Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny" - Dimmu Borgir<br />"Legend of Steel" - Luca Turilli<br />"Blood Red Sandman" - Lordi<br />"Asator" - Amon Amarth<br />"Elegy" - Leave's Eyes<br />"Shaman" - Amorphis<br />"The Quest" - Alestorm<br />"Tale of Revenge" - Ensifeum<br />"Nattfodd" - Finntroll<br />"On Torrid Sand" - Suidakra<br />"Gray Sublime Archon" - Eluveitie<br />"One More" - Turisas<br />"Lord of Lies" - Tyr<br />"Devil Woman" - Cradle of Filth<br /><br />Ready for the surprise? Next week we will be bringing you a special live theme night!! We will be playing nothing but live songs from your favorite metal bands! Please comment on this post with any songs/artists you want to hear!<br /><br />See you next week for our Live theme show!<br />-TJMetal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5062331236549180507.post-91545630551957437842011-07-23T23:16:00.000-05:002011-07-23T23:16:00.401-05:00Folk Metal Night!Hey Everyone!<br /><br />Melanie and I can't make it into the show this week, so we'll be bringing you a pre-recorded Folk metal themed show. Feel free to post comments with news or anything interesting that's happening in the metal world since there will be no metal news.<br /><br />Here is this week's playlist:<br /><div class="MsoNormal">"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" - Nightwish</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Goi! Rode! Goi!" - Arkona</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Over the Seas" - Alestorm</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Der Ewige Sieg" - Equilibrium</div><div class="MsoNormal">"The Calling" - Primordial</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Hear the Heathen Call" - Tyr</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Isle of Skye" - Suidakra</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Korpiklaani" - Korpiklaani</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Het Wilde Heer" - Heidevolk</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Forked Height" - Battlelore</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Thousandfold" - Eluveitie</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Seasonspeech" - Elvenking</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Perpolsa" - Lumsk</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Kylan Pasaa" - Moonsorrow</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Lagnan" - Helyarega</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Homeward Shore" - Falkenbach</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Blodnatt" - Finntroll</div><div class="MsoNormal">"The Visitor" - Kivimetsan Druidi</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Starchild" - Wintersun</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Lai Lai Hei" - Ensiferum</div><div class="MsoNormal">"Juodaan Viinaa" - Korpiklaani</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">See you next week everyone!</div><div class="MsoNormal">-TJ</div>Metal Oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07629505368803639913noreply@blogger.com0